When Gwen woke up she shuddered for several reasons. First, she wasn't the screaming type, so she had to shudder. Second, her body ached all over. She had cuts and bruises all over her body. Third, she was quite naked. And fourth, a kind looking man was sitting a few feet away, gazing anxiously at her.
"I was wondering when you were going to wake up," he said, handing her a blanket. "I don't think I slept quite that long after my first transformation." Her head was all in a muddle.
"Transformation?"
"You're a werewolf. Unfortunately. There hasn't been a biting in years, but I suppose someone forgot to take his or her wolfsbane potion. It's a potion that helps you keep your mind as you transform." Gwen held up a hand to stop him.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Remus Lupin. I too, am cursed with lycanthropy."
"Ly – Ly – what?"
"Lycanthropy. The werewolf disease."
"What do I need to know about this lycanthropy?" Gwen spat the word out.
"Well, you'll turn into a werewolf once a month. It's quite painful, but with the aid of a special potion, you will keep your mind. That is, you will still think like a human. The potion is a fairly recent invention. I remember when there was no potion. In that period of time I figure I killed around three people and made two new werewolves. It was not fun. People shunned me when they found out. But they won't shun you. Now let's see. I should talk to your parents. They'll be worried about you and they need to know how to help you. I don't know if you've noticed yet, but you're allergic to silver." As Remus went over these things, he was leading Gwen back towards her home. She took advantage of the fact that he was talking and examined him. He was of average height with tired grey eyes. His hair matched his eyes. His clothes were somewhat shabby. He radiated kindness and caring, but Gwen had the feeling that he could be threatening and terrible if he wanted to be. Gwen smiled. She liked this man. Somehow Remus led Gwen to her house, although he had never been there before. He knocked on the door. Gwen's mum cautiously opened the door and saw Gwen. Her face contorted into anger. Remus cleared his throat. Mrs. Blakely glared at him icily.
"And who might you be?" She sneered. Remus pretended not to notice.
"My name is Remus Lupin," He began. "This may take a while. Can we go inside?" Mrs. Blakely merely opened the door wider. Gwen led Remus inside to her parents' living room. Her mother winced as Remus sat down on her spotless couch. Gwen fetched her father. Mr. Blakely was not as snobby as his wife, but he still saw Remus as his inferior.
"This will come as a shock to you. You might want to sit down." Wordlessly, Gwen's parents sank down onto a loveseat. Gwen pranced over to where Remus was sitting and sat down next to him. "Your daughter is a werewolf." Gwen had expected her parents to scream or yell or throw things. Instead, they glanced at each other.
"We have no daughter." Mrs. Blakely stated simply.